2023 DFW Major Capital Improvements

Approximately 41 centerline miles of roadway improvements were completed in 2023, and construction started on 87 miles. These improvements, along with over 312 miles of planned enhancements, will help North Texas accommodate current and future growth.

part of the annual update to the Regional 10-Year Plan and TxDOT’s Unified Transportation Program. The region was awarded funding through various state and federal programs, which will help provide critical improvements to the air quality and transportation network. Through the Fiscal Year 2023 RAISE Grant Program, the region was awarded $25 million to reconstruct East Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth. The region also secured $33.5 million through the Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program to implement safety countermeasures and conduct additional safety planning.

Pavement and Bridge Condition

NCTCOG monitors the condition of pavement and bridges along 12,000 miles of the National Highway System as part of its federally required performance measurement activities. These activities include either the adoption of unique regional targets or a decision to affirm and support existing statewide targets. In July 2023, the RTC voted to support the Texas Department of Transportation’s new statewide targets for pavement and bridge condition. Policymakers continue to track and report the condition of these assets as data is available.

NCTCOG is working with TxDOT, local governments and universities to improve the bridges across the region. In August 2023, the University of Texas at Arlington completed a study through the University Partnership Program intended to develop and identify optimized bridge treatments to improve bridge condition and/or life cycle length.

There are multiple grant opportunities available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and

Approximately $4.1 billion in transportation improvements began in 2023. NCTCOG is partnering with federal, state and local governments to continue meeting the needs of the growing region.

NCTCOG and its partners continue to pursue new sources of funding for critical projects. Additionally, NCTCOG and local governments are coordinating to improve arterial streets. Two examples are Fair Park Links in Dallas and Forest Hill Drive in Tarrant County.

Fair Park Links

Fair Park Links is a study NCTCOG is conducting in coordination with the City of Dallas, TxDOT, Fair Park and local community-based organizations. The project aims to reconnect Fair Park to the Deep Ellum neighborhood, with additional connectivity further into downtown Dallas.

An important consideration for the Fair Parks Links Study is the proposed reconstruction of IH 30 and IH 345 as a depressed highway system — an initiative led by TxDOT and in coordination with the City of Dallas. The depressed highway system creates opportunities for the city to plan and redesign its roadway network to include new routes and improved connectivity between the three communities.

Forest Hill Drive

NCTCOG is coordinating with the cities of Everman, Forest Hill and Fort Worth on a project to widen Forest Hill Drive from two to four lanes, add bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and improve safety from LonStephenson Road to Shelby Road. The project also includes a flood study funded by NCTCOG and performed by Tarrant County. To gain consensus on the plans to widen Forest Hill Drive required coordination with three cities, two schools and multiple businesses. The study is scheduled to be completed in August 2024.

Capacity improvements and congestion management are important ways to help the region maintain the reliability of the roadway system. But the job first responders do every day to keep the roads clear is also essential to reliability.

With the intense focus on safety across the region and state, training remains important for agencies and emergency personnel responsible for responding to roadway incidents. Efficient clearing of roadway incidents is safer for first responders and the motorists themselves.

Safety Training

The region’s Traffic Incident Management training course seeks to initiate a coordinated response to traffic incidents that will develop partnerships, enhance safety for emergency personnel, reduce upstream traffic accidents, improve the efficiency of the transportation system and improve air quality.

NCTCOG offers two courses throughout the year. The First Responders and Managers Course is geared toward those with daily involvement in responding to traffic incidents. In 2023,104 first responders were trained through this course. The Executive Level

Course provides agency decision- and policymakers a high-level overview of the topics discussed with first responders and managers. In 2023, 73 executives received this training.

Crash Data

In 2023, the 12-county Dallas-Fort Worth area experienced 125,331 crashes, 803 of which were fatal. While crashes were down over 2022, there was a slight increase in incidents involving at least one fatality. Overall, the number of fatalities dropped slightly. Additionally, seven of the 12 counties reported fewer fatalities than in 2022.

Regional Safety Plan

Approved by the Regional Transportation Council in March 2023, the NCTCOG Regional Roadway Safety Plan is the first region-wide plan developed to eliminate all fatalities on North Texas roadways by 2050. The plan includes a region-wide safety analysis to identify which crash types resulted in the most fatalities or serious injuries and recommended changes to prevent these crashes or reduce their severity. The following eight emphasis areas were

2023 Regional Crash Summary

identified as part of the plan: speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, intersection safety, bicyclist and pedestrian safety, roadway and lane departures, occupant protection (seatbelts), and motorcycles.

The plan also identifies roadways with the most fatal and serious injury crashes and scores those segments as candidates for engineering upgrades or other safety enhancements. The Regional Roadway Safety Plan will guide the implementation of future safety projects and programs throughout the region as planners and policymakers work toward a goal of zero fatalities on the region’s roadways by 2050.

To read the Regional Roadway Safety Plan, visit www.nctcog.org/RSP.

Safety Funding

The Texas Transportation Commission established a task force composed of representatives from TxDOT and the state’s metropolitan planning organizations to further identify and fund safety projects with a focus on reducing fatalities on Texas highways.

The task force has developed a five-year proposal to identify best practices, recommendations and new ideas to reduce highway fatalities, injuries and traffic crashes. The task force also developed a short-term plan to invest funding in ongoing safety initiatives to reduce speeding and impaired driving, while improving bicycle-pedestrian and motorcycle safety, increasing awareness for seatbelts and implementing safety efforts in work zones. TxDOT has committed $50 million to each MPO across the state to support safety efforts and document safety activities to help reduce fatalities.

Safety Performance Measures

Mobility Assistance

The Roadside Assistance Program (RAP) is an important part of incident response and traffic safety efforts in North Texas. Area RAP programs help alleviate congestion and prevent secondary crashes on busy highways/freeways and toll roads by providing free assistance to stranded motorists. Patrols also protect other first responders and warn motorists approaching the scene of a crash. Patrols are currently operated by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, North Texas Tollway Authority, LBJ Express, and North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners.

Coverage has focused on congested highways in Dallas and Tarrant counties but also extends into portions of Collin, Denton and Johnson counties. Further expansion into Parker, Ellis, Johnson and Rockwall counties is in development. In 2023, there were 74,824 assists in Dallas and Tarrant counties.

Federal Performance Measures

NCTCOG is federally required to track data on fatalities and serious injuries to help make the roads safer for all users. The latest available information is below. NCTCOG will continue coordinating with local, state and federal partners on plans, policies and projects to improve safety for all roadway users and meet federal safety targets. For more information on federal performance measures, visit www.nctcog.org/pm/fed

Safety targets are becoming more stringent as the state moves toward its goal of a transportation system with zero fatalities by 2050. Continued coordination across all levels of government will ensure North Texas has the projects, programs and policies to make the roads safer for all users.

With the intense focus on safety across the region and state, training remains important for agencies and emergency personnel responsible for responding to roadway incidents. Efficient clearing of roadway incidents is safer for first responders and the motorists themselves.

With the intense focus on safety across the region and state, training remains important for agencies and emergency personnel responsible for responding to roadway incidents. Efficient clearing of roadway incidents is safer for first responders and the motorists themselves.

Coverage has focused on congested highways in Dallas and Tarrant counties but also extends into portions of Collin, Denton and Johnson counties. Further expansion into Parker, Ellis, Johnson and Rockwall counties is in development. In 2023, there were 74,824 assists in Dallas and Tarrant counties (still waiting to receive assist stats from NTTA, LBJ, & NTExpress).